SPRINGFIELD - District Attorney Candidate Hal Etkin announced today that, when elected, he will develop procedures to publicly list fugitives and defendants with active warrants in Hampden County.

Under this plan, the office will monitor the county dockets for defendants who fail to appear for court or are actively wanted by police. The plan would allow increased cooperation with any police department that is seeking defendants who have failed to attend court or are otherwise wanted.

Etkin explained, “Increasing the number of eyes looking for fugitives will increase the District Attorney's ability to bring them to justice. The longer a fugitive is at large, the longer it takes to prosecute them, and in many situations it becomes even more difficult because witnesses are no longer available or other evidence becomes stale.”

Etkin said, “I believe that the public should know about active fugitives in our community. By publicizing these defendants, the public will be aware of the defendant and may be able to provide law enforcement with information leading to their arrest. Getting active fugitives off the streets will only serve to make our communities safer.”